8

Science
Quarter 1 – TOPIC 5

LIGHT ENERGY AND COLORS

Science – JHS
Quarter 1 –LIGHT ENERGY AND COLORS

What I Need to Know

In the last module, you studied sound and the properties of waves. Did you know that
it has also the same properties with light. This module is all about light- its properties,
colors, and their energy.

Did you wonder why we are capable of seeing different colors around us? Why do the
leaves appear green, and the sky is blue? Why do rainbows have different colors? And
often appears after a rain? Why during at night it all appears black in the absence of
light.

These are concepts that sometimes confuses us. And this module will guide you
in eradicating your common misconceptions about light.

This module is designed to provide a general background for the understanding of the
hierarchy of colors in relation to the energy of visible light.
The learners will be able to explain the hierarchy of colors in relation to the energy of
visible light.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Relate wavelength, frequency, and velocity of colors to energy that it carries.
2. Explain the hierarchy of colors in relation to the energy.

What I Know

Choose the letter that corresponds to the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Which color has the shortest wavelength?
A. Blue B. Green C. Red D. Violet
2. What process involves the separation of white light into its component colors due to difference in
frequencies as it passes through the prism?
A. Diffraction B. Dispersion C. Reflection D. Refraction
3. What do you call the band of color that comprises the visible light?
A. Brightness B. Color C. Speed of light D. Visible Spectrum
4. Which color has the highest frequency?
A. Blue B. Orange C. Red D. Violet
5. Which denotes the relationship between color and frequency?
A. Red is the lowest energy color, while violet is the highest energy color.
B. Violet is the lowest energy color, while red is the highest energy color.
C. Green is the highest energy color, while blue is the lowest energy color.
D. Orange is the highest energy color, while indigo is the lowest energy color.
 Lesson Relationship of Wavelength,

1 Frequency, and Velocity of Colors to

its Energy

Light can be seen around us. Light is a form of electromagnetic wave and
constitutes a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum which is visible to the human
eye. Hence, it is called visible light. Since visible light is a form of a wave, it is defined
by its characteristic wavelength and frequency. The visible light spectrum is located
within a wavelength range of 380 to 740 nm (nanometer) or a frequency range of 404 to
790 terahertz (THz). It travels at a speed of 3.0 x108 m/s in a vacuum. It is composed of
7 colors ROYGBIV (red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet) which when combined
creates white light. Visible Spectrum is a band of colors that comprises the visible light.
Examples of visible light are sunlight, incandescent light bulbs, light emitted by some
lasers, neon lights, the red, amber, and green traffic lights.
Electromagnetic radiation, such as light, is generated by changes in movement
(vibration) of electrically charged particles. It is an electromagnetic wave. Unlike sound
waves, the electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to propagate. It covers a
broad range of wavelengths and frequencies known as Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS).

What’s In
Let us now try to connect the past to the present. In the last module, sound is a
form of energy that people can hear. Sound is produced when an object vibrates back
and forth. When an object vibrates, it pushes the air around it, which causes the air to
alternately bunch up and then spread apart forming compression and rarefaction. These
travel outwards forming a sound wave that travels through a medium. Without a
medium, sound cannot travel and so there is no sound in a vacuum such as outer space.
In this module, we will focus on the relationship of wavelength, frequency, and velocity
of colors to energy that it carries and the hierarchy of colors in relation to the energy.

Using the illustration on the left, answer the following questions. Which of these waves
has:

1. The longest wavelength

2. The greatest amplitude
3. The highest frequency

Image adapted from https://images.app.goo.gl/i9UrNQKuFXpcSc5X8

 What’s New
This time, you need to start learning new things. This activity will help you
enrich your vocabularies and become familiarized with new terms associated with the
lesson. Read the passage below. Using the word bank, write the terms next to its
corresponding number.

Activity 1.0 Check your Vocabulary

colors frequency gamma infrared longest

shortest speed transverse visible wavelength

The electromagnetic spectrum is a family of (1) waves. These

waves have a side-to-side motion and they all travel at the same (2)
but vary in frequency and in (3) . (4) is the number of
waves that pass a point in one second. Light that we used to see with (5)
light is a very small part of this spectrum. The different (6) we see
in light are due to differences in wavelength. The highest frequency waves have the
(7) wavelength and are known as (8) waves, which
are used in medicine. The (9) , lower frequency waves are used for TV
and radio communication. (10) waves are used in night vision
cameras and remote controls.

What is It

This part may give you answers on your queries in mind. Some of you may be
thinking why do you see different colors during daytime, and only see black mostly at
night. Did you also ask yourself these questions? If so, you will be enlightened in this
part and you may also do some research for yourself to dig more into it.

1. What is Light?
2. What are the Characteristics of Light?
3. What are the Qualitative Properties of Light?

White Light

White light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow. It consists of seven colors:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. It is collectively known also as
ROYGBIV. How do we know? Because a prism splits the light into its component colors.
A prism is a clear glass shape that bends white light or breaks it up into spectrum of
different colors. This is due to its optical property known as Index of Refraction that
causes change to the wavelength of the light as it passes the material. Visible or white
light is not dangerous or harmful. However, it can damage the receptor cells in the eye
if it is too intense causing temporary or permanent blindness. That’s why it is not
advisable to look directly into the sun or any intense light source.
 Light is also a pure energy. These electromagnetic waves are energy-carrying
waves emitted by vibrating electrons, or in terms of a stream of mass-less particles,
called photons travelling in a wave-like pattern at the speed of light. It covers a broad
range of wavelengths and frequencies known as Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS). This
EMS is an electromagnetic radiation which is a map of the total range of light waves
extending in wavelengths. It is composed of radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves,
visible light, UV waves, X-rays and gamma rays. Visible light falls between the ultraviolet
and the infrared regions of the EMS. Only the visible light part of the EMS is visible to
the human eye. Electromagnetic waves move at the speed of light for all seven forms of
light.

The speed of light in a vacuum is 3.00 x108 m/s. Speed of light is slower in media.
It can be measured by the unit of the lumen, which is the total quantity of visible light
emitted by a source per unit of time. Another unit is candela, which gives the
wavelength-weighted power or luminous intensity. The relationship among frequency,
wavelength, and speed is the same as sound (C=ƒλ).

ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION

PHOTONS LIGHT

The term light, radiation and electromagnetic waves all refers to the same
physical phenomenon electromagnetic energy. It can be described by frequency,
wavelength or energy. Light also has its own characteristics and properties to describe
it.

Characteristics of Light

1. Wavelength (λ) – the distance between two successive wave crests or troughs.
2. Frequency (f) – is the number of waves that passes a given point per second.
• Frequency tells you the color of light. High frequency light waves are at the blue
end of the spectrum, and low frequency light waves are at the red end of the
spectrum. Our eyes detect the frequency of the light, and our brains interpret it
as color.
3. Amplitude (A) - the highest possible displacement of a wave of light from its
original or rest position.

There are two qualitative properties of light. One is Brightness or Intensity, which
refers to the energy it carries over an area per unit time. It is related to the amplitude
of the wave. It is also proportional to the surface of light. Color is another qualitative
property of light which is the physiological aspect of objects caused by differing
qualities of light emitted or reflected by them. It is related to the frequency and
wavelength. A Radiation Curve is a graph that shows the distribution of colors based
on brightness against the wavelength while dispersion is the separation of colors from
white light as it passes through a prism.
Properties of Light
1. Reflection – the bouncing back of light from a surface or when it hits a barrier.
2. Refraction – the bending of light as it passes through one material to another.
It changes its speed as it passes from one medium to another.
3. Diffraction – bending of light around an obstacle where it spreads out after
passing a narrow opening or edge.
4. Interference – The overlapping of light waves when two waves meet causing
adding and subtracting of energy.

What’s More

Activity 2.0 Finding ROY G. BIV

Material
CD/DVD/clear ballpen
https://images.app.goo.gl/hAusWK2Hrj7xTAoS6
Procedures
1. Get a CD/DVD/clear ballpen.
2. Place the CD/DVD/clear ballpen in any area with sunlight.
3. Tilt the CD/DVD/clear ballpen in different angles and see how that changes the
reflections.
4. Observe and record the colors that will appear on the CD/DVD/clear ballpen
that you will see in a chronological order.
Guide Questions
1. List and arrange the observed colors as to how they appear on the
CD/DVD/clear ballpen.
2. Describe the arrangement of the different colors after passing through the
CD/DVD/clear ballpen.
3. Why is the CD/DVD/clear ballpen able to separate the colors of white light?

The spectrum of white light is produced because different colors of light travel
at different speeds in a refracting medium. Like water droplets in falling rain, the
CD/DVD/clear ballpen separates white light into all the colors that make up a
rainbow. Dispersion is a phenomenon and a special kind of refraction where white
light is separated into its component colors which provides us colors of light. We are
capable of seeing things because they reflect light into our eyes. When light is blocked
by an object, shadows are formed. So, without light, there can be no sight.

Characteristics of Light
Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, which are the fields that are
associated with light energy. Some characteristics of light include wavelength and
frequency. Frequency and wavelength have both direct and inverse relationships. For
instance, if two waves are traveling at the same speed, they are inversely related. The
wave with shorter wavelength will have a higher frequency while a longer wavelength
will have a lower frequency.
 Frequency and wavelength can be related through the speed of light. Light moves
with the speed of 3.00 x 108 meters per second. Speed of light, frequency, and
wavelength can all be expressed in an equation. λν=c f is solved for c, speed of light. v
represents frequency and λ represents wavelength. As mentioned previously, this is an
inverse relationship because as one of the values goes up, the other value goes down.
With this basic equation, you can also solve for wavelength and frequency to get their
equations as well.

Activity 3.0 Color of Light.. Colors of Life

https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov

Analyze and use the table below to explore characteristics of color lights and answer
the given Guide Questions.

Frequency/Ƒ Wavelength/λ Frequency x Wavelength Energy

(THz:Hz) (nm: m) (ƒ x λ) m/s (eV)
Red 422: 4.22x1014 700: 7x10-7 2.954x108 1.77
Orange 484: 4.84x1014 620: 6.2x10-7 3.0008x108 2.00
Yellow 517: 5.17x1014 580: 5.8x10-7 2.99868x108 2.14
Green 566; 5.66x1014 530: 5.3x10-7 2.9998x108 2.34
Blue 638: 6.38x1014 470: 4.7x10-7 2.9986x108 2.64
Violet 744: 7.44x1014 400: 4x10-7 2.976x108 2.95

Guide Questions:
1. Which color registered the highest frequency? Shortest wavelength?
2. Which color registered the lowest frequency? Longest wavelength?
3. What did you observe about the wavelengths and frequencies of the different
colors of light?
4. What did you observe about the products of frequencies and wavelengths?
5. Does the frequencies of the colors of light increase from red to violet?
6. What did you observe about the corresponding energies from red to violet?
7. How is frequency relate to energy of colors of light?

Color is the frequency of visible light. Wave frequency is related to wave energy,
wherein the more energy in a wave, the higher its frequency and the lesser energy, the
lower the frequency. When it comes to light waves, violet is the highest energy color
and red is the lowest energy color. Related to the energy and frequency is the
wavelength, wherein the shorter wavelengths move faster and have more energy while
longer wavelengths travel more slowly and have less energy.
 What I Have Learned
Always remember the important concepts discussed in this module. By now, you can
clearly state the relationship of frequency, wavelength and velocity and the hierarchy
of colors in relation to its energy.
1. Light is a form of electromagnetic wave and constitutes a small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum which is visible to the human eye.
2. Visible light falls between the ultraviolet and the infrared regions of the
electromagnetic spectrum (EMS).
3. Light is a wave characterized by its frequency, wavelength and amplitude.
4. The wavelength and frequency are inversely related. The higher frequency, the
shorter the wavelength and vice versa.
5. The wavelength decreases from red to violet while the frequency increases from red
to violet.
6. Energy and frequency increases as one moves from red light towards violet light or
as wavelength decreases.
7. The speed of light equation shows an inverse relationship between wavelength and
frequency because as one value increases, the other value decreases.
8. Colors with low frequencies travel faster than with high frequencies.
9. The energy equation shows a direct relationship because as frequency increases,
so does energy.
10. The higher the frequency of the color of light, the greater is its energy.

What I Can Do

Activity 4.0 LIGHT CLOZE

Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

absorb colors electromagnetic medium prism

rainbow reflects refraction transparent white

Light is a visible form of (1) radiation. The sun produces (2)

light, which is a combination of all (3) of light. However, these colors can be
separated using a device called (4) . A prism, uses the property of
(5) , which is the bending of light as it passes from one (6) to another.
A (7) is formed when the sun’s light is refracted through droplets of water in
the atmosphere.
We see objects when light (8) off of them. Different objects appear to be
different colors because light reflects off of the objects. Blue objects (9) every
color except blue, which is reflected. Light can also pass through objects. Objects that
allow light to pass through them are (10) .
 Assessment
Choose the letter that corresponds to the best answer.
1. Which has the shortest wavelength?
A. Radar C. Ultra Violet light
B. X-rays D. Infrared or Radio waves
2. As waves increase in energy, they have higher and shorter .
A. Pitch, tone C. Frequencies, wavelength
B. Frequencies, hertz D. Wavelength, frequencies
3. Which tool is used to separate white light into the color spectrum?
A. Kaleidoscope B. Periscope C. Prism D. Telescope
4. When light hits an object, the rays can pass through it, bounce off it, or be absorbed by
it. What do you call the light rays that bounce back?
A. Radar B. Radiant C. Reflected D. Refracted
5. What did you observe when white light passes through a prism?
A. The mass of the prism
B. The original source of light
C. The blue light is brighter than white light
D. White light is actually a mixture of different colors

Additional Activities
At last, you have reached the end of the module. Did you understand our
discussions well? To enrich your knowledge and skill regarding the lesson, you should
be able to think about this:
➢ Cite at least two biological processes where visible or white light is very
important.

References
Discover Science 8, Ian Mark F Allas etal.
Science Learner Module 8, Pia C. Campo et.al
Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics Principles with Applications, 6th edition. Pearson
Education,Inc.,2005.
Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics,10th edition. Pearson International Edition,
2006
https://www.sciencefacts.net/visible-light.html
www.science-teachers.com